Olympus on Gstaad
The closest neighbour and unquestionable challenger of the 100 year-old Palace, this extraordinary hotel will doubtless inspire many column inches as it matures into a hub of choice for the world’s most privileged. A new venture of french billionaire and “sugar King of Africa”, Jean Claude Mimran, the hotel is run by his son Nachson, whom we met for a chat during our stay there. The Alpina Gstaad, Switzerland,
Here is a summary of what he told us.
This is the first foray into hospitality by the Mimran family whose background is in agriculture and other investments in West Africa. Nachson Mimran oversees the operation although the hotel is run by managing director Eric Favre. The younger Mimran’s input has already given the hotel a lot of character. Bold choices of art works, distinctive commissioned pieces (both wall-mounted and furniture), and evidence of a growing and eclectic private art collection, strategically displayed throughout the hotel, give it the feel of an exceptionally sumptuous private reception room, complete with its own antique painted ceiling and a Gone with the Wind double stairway.
A special effort has been made to re-create an authentic, pre-Castro cuban fumoir, housing another set of art works, one of which has even stirred controversy in the art world, guaranteeing it long-lasting notoriety. One of three brothers, Nachson Mimran grew up partly in Gstaad, partly in Senegal and has the easy charm of a well-travelled, culturally flexible and perfectly mannered product of a multinational family. He appears to genuinely delight in the responsibility and carries it lightly (says it’s gratifying, in fact).
There is, on a wall leading towards to the fumoir a framedvideo of the demolition of the original Alpina re-played backwards, so that one sees it rising again from the ashes. It was filmed by his late mother and clearly has a special, almost allegorical significance. There are no ashes to rise from – the family is unquestionably very successful – but shaping a lasting reputation for a new ultra high end hotel in one of the most iconic places on earth must be at once daunting and exciting.

alpina4The hotel is in fact a concept that has been long coming. Mimran père often talked to his then ski instructor about the beautiful spot where the Alpina is, dreaming of building his own hotel there one day. The ski instructor became a real estate mogul and the two set out to fulfil the dream. It took them 15 years to get a planning permission but when they did, the land had appreciated in value to such an extent, the sale of 3 chalets and 11 apartments on the grounds of the property self-financed the realisation of the hotel itself. Ah, those who know how to wait… or can afford to do so.


Does he worry about competing with The Palace next door? He shrugs the question away and is gracious about it too – when his guests want to party hard, he says, the Alpina concierge suggests they go to The Palace down the road.

The suites
alpinaWe stayed in one of the 5th floor suites whose twin balconies gave us a 180 degree panoramic view to die for.
Everything, from the cashmere covered sofa to the glass-covered fireplace and coffee table books stacked up on the shelves, conveys the warmth of a self-contained private chalet.
The concave mirror in the sitting room section acts as a reflective art piece of the whole. Orchid plants are in every area of the suite, including the bathroom.
One of the most remarkable things about the Alpina is that original (rather than replica ) furniture pieces and antique barn wood have been sourced and used throughout.
The Spa
‘Died and gone to heaven’ is probably the most clichéd, yet the most apt way to describe the Alpina spa.
Without any question, the most sumptuous and fully equipped hotel spa we have ever had the pleasure to visit, this is probably best described in pictures.alpina5
Neither words nor images can, however, convey the sense of visual and sensual feast. Water streaming down rock wall after rock wall, green living walls, rough-hewn blocks of lime, a massive 85 foot indoor lap pool, several sauna and steam rooms, a large salt resting room and the piece de resistence, a full heated outdoor pool with its whirlpool area.
As a matter of fact, the outdoor pool is long enough to swim in and an absolute hit with the younger guests, particularly in the evenings.
We loved it.
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The Treatment
My treatment at the Alpina was a deep lifting CVS facial by the resident beautician, whose lightness of touch is remarkable.
This consists of deep and repeated exfoliation, fingertip work, deep manipulation of the underlying muscle tissues, and massaging in skin tightening serums.
The results are so tangible, the therapist holds a mirror for you to see the subtle but visible difference between the two sides of the face half way through the treatment.
This is an impressive, new generation facial that prompted me to research if it is available elsewhere in European city hotels.
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Guests and atmosphere
If ever we were tempted to define a hotel in terms of net worth of its guests, we’d dub this a billionaires’ hotel – you could be breakfasting next to major art collectors, oligarchs or mega stars, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it. Discretion and low key is the name of the game. The vast ground floor lobby bar and its outdoor terrace would encourage socialising if the guests were so inclined, however most people kept to themselves during out visit, either out of natural reticence or because they were there as a family.
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The Art
The Alpina has an eclectic collection of art that does give the hotel the feel of an art gallery.
Nachson Mimran works with art foundations, in addition to commissioning pieces for the hotel. He also curates the growing
collection of the Alpina.
The very Swiss tradition of displaying the horns of plenty in a hospitality establishment has taken an interesting twist here: Mimran commissioned Ann Carrington to make them of cutlery.
There are a few more pieces by the same artist and also made of cutlery on the walls of the restaurant – all of them striking and entirely ingenious.
Why Stay There?
You are guaranteed to breakfast/dine or swim next to some of the wealthiest people on the planet (a small number of them have been astute enough to buy chalets on the grounds of the hotel and have a private entrance to its facilities).
Staying at the Alpina is akin to staying at a private club for oligarchs, celebrity entertainers and sundry billionaires. You would be treated to an arty, somewhat idiosyncratic atmosphere because many of the patrons are fairly eccentric and arty themselves. You’d notice this as soon as you enter the hotel.

However rich or famous you are, there’ll always be someone just so or even more so than you, which guarantees you absolute privacy. In fact, although guests would engage some of the staff in conversation (the formidable maître d’ appeared to have been on a friendly basis with many of them for years before the opening of the hotel), they keep a polite but well-defined distance between one another.
The many Russian families were self-contained units, with their own staff and nannies, in any case, with no need or inclination to interact with other guests.
You would love the spa which is truly second to none, both in terms of design and facilities.
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Address: Alpinastrasse 23, 3780, Switzerland

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